


The Bassist

by VicesVsVirtues



Series: The Boys of Sunset Curve [2]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: AU, Banter, COllege Student Flynn, F/M, Family, M/M, Modern Day Setting, Older Flynn, Reggie POV, Reggie has a crap home life, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, Sunset Curve, chosen family, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:41:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 18,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28938663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VicesVsVirtues/pseuds/VicesVsVirtues
Summary: Runs alongside Luke and Julie's story in the now deleted Busker (available in print on Amazon)Reggie hasn't got the best home life. His escape is his band and best friends. Things shift slightly when he meets Flynn, a whirlwind of a girl who helps out Sunset Curve.Things get heated between them fairly quickly, and they manage to hid it from their friends, but for how long?
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Flynn/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Series: The Boys of Sunset Curve [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974010
Comments: 71
Kudos: 67





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like it's been forever since I posted anything, but things have been crazy here in Chez Vices.
> 
> This is the 2nd in the series - it was originally going to be Alex and Willie's story, but for some reason I was struggling to get that one written, so I swapped them over. 
> 
> This is still a WIP that I'm writing because for some reason non Luke fics take me longer... but I am loving it. However, I keep wondering if something is missing. I'm not quite sure how often I'll be updating, but I hope it'll be regularly.
> 
> I REALLY hope you love this one. If you don't, feel free to come and shout at me over on Tumblr. [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/)

_Prologue:_

Reggie was woken by the sound of glass smashing against a wall. Within seconds, both of his parents’ voices were screeching at full volume, filling the house with swearing and insults.

With a quiet groan, he grabbed at his phone to check the time. Not quite two a.m. Flopping back on his bed, Reggie wondered how long it would take for the police to turn up this time. Not wanting to get the blame for calling 911, he crawled out of bed, pulled his clothes on, and grabbed his ‘go bag’ – the one he always had ready for moments such as these – and climbed out of his bedroom window.

Once he was on the ground, he looked back at the house just once before he began walking. It wasn’t far to Luke’s place and the early hour wasn’t too cold. The walk was surprisingly pleasant, even if Reggie was exhausted. He didn’t sleep very well at the best of times – hadn’t done for years, so being woken up so abruptly hadn’t helped.

When he got to Luke’s house, it was shrouded in darkness, but years of navigating the property made it easy for him to locate the right place so he could climb up to his friend’s unlocked window. He gave the glass a gentle tap and waited for his friend to open it so he could crawl inside.

“Hey.” Luke’s voice was quiet and croaky in the dark.

“Hey. Sorry for waking you.” Guilt flooded through Reggie as it always did when he showed up in the middle of the night.

“’S’ok. Wasn’t sleeping much anyway.”

Reggie pulled out the airbed Mrs. Patterson kept made up for him and Alex. With a sigh, he stripped back down to his boxers and climbed under the blanket that was always kept in Luke’s room along with pillows ready for use at a moment’s notice.

“Night.” He called out to Luke softly. The response was a sleepy grunt which made him smile for the first time in the half hour since he’d woken up.

:: ::

Letting himself back into his house a couple of days later, Reggie kept as quiet as he could, so he wouldn’t disturb anyone – especially if his dad was working nights and was sleeping. He needn’t have bothered, neither of his parents were home. Making the most of having the house to himself, he went into the kitchen to cook himself something to eat while he shoved his dirty laundry into the washer. Sitting at the breakfast bar, Reggie scrolled through his social media.

Usually, Reggie hated total silence. He was someone who found it oppressive and deafening, but for some reason, that afternoon, he didn’t flick the radio on. He put his phone back in his pocket and closed his eyes, relishing in the lack of screaming, arguing, and sounds of unwanted physical contact.

Ever since his brother, Ricky – Richard to his parents – had moved away for college, the atmosphere in the house changed. There was no longer anyone to protect him from the raised voices, even when they weren’t aimed at him. No one to cook for him when his parents ‘forgot’ they wouldn’t be home from work in time. No one to spend time with in the big and empty house. Ricky had abandoned him, and Reggie hated him for it. Hated him for being the one who got out, for limiting all contact with his family to facetime calls or the odd email. There were no visits home for Ricky who now lived across the country in New York, living his best life without having to worry about saying the wrong thing or having to look after his little brother. Reggie had been abandoned to learn how to cook, do laundry, and generally look after himself. It had taken him almost two years, but he managed it. He wasn’t the waste of space he was often referred to by his dad.

The beep from the washer brought Reggie out of his maudlin thoughts and gave him something to do to keep him occupied. Transferring the clothes from the washer to dryer was done on auto pilot and he was soon moving through the house, not seeing any evidence of his parents’ latest fight. They were good at that, hiding the truth. Yeah, the neighbors all _heard_ what was happening in the Peters house, but never saw the fallout from it.

Making his way into his bedroom, Reggie finally put some background noise on before he fell onto his bed, exhaustion taking over him. Soft music from his stereo filtered into the room around him as he fell asleep on top of his bed, a rare moment of peace washing over him.


	2. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The comments about my Reggie made me so emotional, and I can't thank you enough, so here's a little update for you. I just hope you continue to love him.
> 
> I still can't put my finger on what I think is missing, but if you have any ideas, please don'[t hesitate to hit me up over on Tumblr.  
> [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/)

_Chapter One:_

“Reggie, that bass line is epic, bro.” Bobby held his fist out for Reggie to bump with his own – which he did. “This track is gonna sound _lit!”_ The guitarist bounced on his feet, much in the way Luke often did, Reggie couldn’t help but notice. Bobby did that a lot, emulated their lead singer in small ways. It was almost as if he hoped some of the attention from girls would transfer over to him, which it rarely did much to Bobby’s disappointment.

“Thanks, man.” The four of them were in Bobby’s garage – studio if you asked Luke – plinking their way through a new riff that had been playing on Reggie’s mind for almost a week. They had a big gig coming up at an open mic night that Luke had managed to score for them through some girl he’d met at _Downtown Beans_ of all places. The only member of their band who had graduated high school spent his days busking, and for some reason, outside a coffee house was his new favorite spot.

He’d kept it close to his chest which was weird for him. If there was one thing Luke Patterson was famous for, it was talking about things that excited him or he was passionate about. The only thing he usually shared was how much money he made to put back into the band. The four of them had a ‘band fund’ that was stored in a lock box in the bottom of Luke’s closet that paid for gas, merch, and anything else they needed. More than once, Bobby needed to raid it as he had a habit of snapping his strings with an annoying regularity.

“Yeah, Reg. It’s sick.” Luke walked over to the bassist and wrapped a sweaty arm around his shoulder. “I don’t think it’ll be ready for the open mic night, but we definitely need to use it, and soon.”

“Well, if anyone can come up with anything for it, you can.” He grinned at Luke. He wasn’t lying either. Luke seemed to be like a word wizard when it came to writing lyrics and melodies for Sunset Curve. If Reggie was honest, and he always was – it was almost a curse at times – he was jealous of Luke for that. He’d tried to write his own songs and had never been able to recreate the magic his best friend always managed to. It was one of the few things he kept from his friends. Maybe he’d one day have the courage to show them some of his songs. _Home is Where my Horse is_ didn’t count. Although Reggie loved his attempt at a country track, even he didn’t take it completely seriously.

“Thanks, Reg.” After giving his shoulder a squeeze, Luke moved back over to his spot and put his guitar on it’s stand. “We need to work out a playlist so we can get it as tight as possible.”

Immediately, Alex jumped up from behind his drums and joined the rest of them on the couch. At some point in the past few months, after getting fed up with trying to decipher Luke’s scrawl, he’d appointed himself the official scribe of Sunset Curve. Reggie could admit, that out of the four of them, Alex did have the best handwriting. His own was like a drunk spider fell into an ink post and stumbled over the paper, but at least it was mostly legible.

“It’s only a one song performance, I don’t think that constitutes needing a set list, do you?” Bobby asked, a bit of a sneer on his face. “Surely, we’ll do _Now or Never_ and rock that room out.”

“Never make an assumption, Robert. It only makes an ass out of you and me.” Reggie commented as he popped open a can of soda and took a drink of it.

“Bite me, Peters.” Bobby snapped back.

“Pack it in, boys.” Alex, ever the peacekeeper, spoke softly. “So, _Now or Never_ then?”

“It’s the best one to show off our skills to a brand-new crowd.” Luke spoke up. “It’s our strongest track and always draws in new fans.” He turned to Bobby. “Think you can stop being a dick long enough for us to run through?”

Bobby didn’t say anything. He just turned away, picked his guitar up, and began to strum. Luke rolled his eyes at Reggie and Alex before the three of them returned to their own instruments.

:: ::

Reggie sat in the back seat of Luke’s beat-up old Chevy, watching the world go by as Luke drove through the Los Angeles suburbs they lived in. The closer they got to his house, the quieter he become, and he knew his best friends had noticed.

“You okay, buddy?” Alex’s voice sounded muffled until Reggie shook his head and concentrated on what his friend was saying.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit tired.” He saw the look that passed between them and frowned slightly. Reggie appreciated their support and concern, but he didn’t want their pity; Reginald Peters hated being the object of people’s pity. So many people had it worse than him, people like Alex thanks to his douchebag parents. “So, what’s the plans this evening?” He asked, trying to inject some life into his voice.

“I’ve got a ton of homework to catch up on.” Alex sighed. “Luke, you’re so lucky you’ve graduated, man.” The eldest of the three of them chuckled, keeping his eyes on the road. Luke had hated school, even though he was surprisingly good at it.

“Oh… yeah. That.” Reggie had forgotten about the increasing amount of schoolwork he had sitting on his desk in his bedroom. Luke laughed again, comfortable in the knowledge he could go home and chill out.

“Don’t you dare laugh, Patterson.” Alex almost growled, making Luke snikcker even more. “Asshole.” He grumbled as Luke pulled up outside his house. He shared a fist bump with Reggie before climbing out and approaching the building.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Reggie called out as he clambered into the passenger seat, almost kicking Luke in the face. As their designated driver moaned, Reggie flipped him off. “Payback for laughing at our homework, asshole.”

“Yeah, my dad’s away with work, so things should be quiet for the next couple of days. I’ll just study with Lizzie and beat the hell out of my drum machine.” Alex called back before letting himself in the house. Reggie and Luke watched the empty porch for a couple of minutes, just in case their friend came back out, needing the escape.

As Luke pulled away, Reggie could feel his friend watching him out of the corner of his eyes.

“What?” He asked, a hint of a smile playing on his mouth.

“Nothing.”

“Spill it, Patterson.”

“I was just wondering if you needed to crash at mine again.”

“It’s cool. Been quiet the past few days because dad’s on nights again. I really need to sit and catch up with my homework. Thanks anyway.”

“No worries.”

It didn’t take long for Luke to drive to Reggie’s place. With a wide smile that was only a little forced, Reggie got out and watched Luke pull away before approaching the house he’d grown up in. As he placed his foot on the first step, he could hear the raised voices coming from inside. Turning on his heel, he walked away from the porch and along the sidewalk.

:: ::

Less than a mile from where he lived was a thick wooded area that Reggie had often used as an escape as the fights between his parents got worse. Ricky had joined a whole bunch of after-school clubs that kept him busy and out of the house, so Reggie was often left to his own devices.

He wasn’t a big fan of the ‘great outdoors’ as a rule, but the woods became a place where he could escape life without feeling like a burden to his friends, who felt more like family than his actual blood relatives. It had just been a while since he’d needed to spend time there. Shoving his headphones in, Reggie cranked up his ‘angry’ playlist and entered the woods that he’d eventually introduced to his friends.

Being careful not to trip over the uneven pathway, Reggie made himself to a small clearing where he and the band had camped out in as kids during the summer break from school. There were old fallen logs that were great seats placed around a firepit Ricky had helped them dig out when they were twelve so they could roast marshmallows and make smores.

Smiling at the memory of his younger self and his friends trying not to burn themselves, Reggie pulled his phone out of his pocket and took some photos of the area; maybe they could arrange for another camp out. It had been way too long, and Reggie hadn’t realized just how much he’d missed it.

Putting his phone away, he remained on the stump listening to his music, enjoying the serenity around him until it began to get dark.


	3. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Reggie is getting a lot of virtual hugs and love, which warms my cold, dead heart. Seriously, this boy is killing me and I'm BLOWN away by the love he's getting.
> 
> If you love (or even hate this fic) please, come and tell me on Tumblr.   
> [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/)

_Chapter Two:_

Reggie watched as the fourth member of the band stormed out of the venue minutes before they were due to hit the stage.

“Did Bobby just quit Sunset Curve?” he asked, wanting to make sure he’d heard right.

“Yeah, I think so.” Luke’s voice was full of anger, and Reggie could see he was holding himself back from going after Bobby to pummel the hell out of him.

“Thank fuck for that.” Reggie picked up his soda and took a long drink, keeping his eyes on Luke who was almost visibly shaking with rage. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Alex wringing his hands as if worried that the whole thing was his fault. Reggie made a mental note to reassure the drummer that all this was on Bobby, no one else. Then he got distracted by Flynn, again, as she approached to tell them they were going on after Julie. Julie who Luke couldn’t take his eyes off. He could see the attraction, but Flynn had the majority of his attention. Even when he and the boys had teased Luke about Julie, he couldn’t stop watching her. There was something about the way she held herself that drew him to her. She was confident like Luke, but somehow there was more to it. Luke was often cocky – it worked getting them gigs – whereas Flynn was different, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on how.

The fact of Bobby quitting on them didn’t faze her the way it did them, and she ushered them to the tiny backstage area to wait for Julie to finish singing so they could hit the stage. Which they did in the Sunset Curve way, with enthusiasm. The entire time they rocked out, Reggie had kept his eye on her, watching as she moved around the room talking to people. He’d even spotted her dancing to their music which made him grin like an idiot.

After the success of their first show as a trio, the boys made their way back to Luke’s house. Reggie was still on an adrenaline high and spent most of the evening pacing the room and waving his hands around as he spoke. He’d wanted to pepper Luke with questions about Flynn, but somehow managed to stop himself. Instead, he waxed lyrical about how amazingly the students had responded to them and questioned the lead singer about why they didn’t do more student nights instead.

When he eventually calmed down enough to settle down, the three of them all piled onto Luke’s bed as was common for them, his mind invariably drifted to Flynn. Her presence had struck him hard, and they’d barely said two words to one another. Reggie liked the girls, liked chatting them up, but there was something different about her. Instinct told him she wouldn’t fall for a corny pick up line, and he didn’t know what to do about that.

:: ::

Reggie couldn’t say he missed Bobby when they’d performed the previous evening, but as they loaded their gear and a couch onto a trailer Luke’s dad had loaned from a neighbor, Reggie could honestly admit he was going to miss Bobby’s garage. He realized, however, how much of an insight into their friendship with Bobby this was. It was weird if Reggie thought about it too much; Bobby had always been his and Luke’s friend for the past three years, but he’d never really felt as if he was _really_ in their circle even though he’d been with them for everything since they started the band.

“Do we really have to take the couch?” he groaned as he held one end of the faux leather monstrosity. Luke was at the other end, glaring at him. “Never mind.” Eventually, all their stuff had been loaded up, they all left through the side gate ready to head back to Luke’s house. Bobby had watched them, not speaking until Luke had approached him. It started off pleasant, and at one point Luke was smiling at Bobby. The moment they’d started arguing, their voices drifting out to them, Reggie began to worry. He hated the sound of raised voices. Alex had noticed and had wrapped an arm around his shoulders, muttering random nonsense in his ear until Luke rejoined them. It took Reggie, Alex, and Mr. Patterson to calm him down enough for them to climb into the car.

Eventually, they left Bobby’s house for the last time and Reggie didn’t know how to feel about that.

“We’ve got a lot of work ahead of, boys.” Luke told him and Alex once they were sat in the den in Luke’s house eating their way through a huge pile of sandwiches Mrs. Patterson had made for them. “We need to rework all our stuff so it works as a trio.”

“Well, we did okay with _Now or Never_ last night.” Reggie spoke around a mouthful of food. Alex glared at him, a look pf pure disgust on his face.

“That was a one off though.”

“I have faith in us.” Luke was adamant they could do it, and Reggie found it hard to disagree with him when he was so positive in his outlook; especially when it came to the band.

“Well, I’m not starting now. I need to head home and climb my mountain of homework. I swear, I do a bunch, but the pile keeps getting bigger.” Reggie stood up.

“Okay, Reg. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Luke.”

Leaving his two best friends, Reggie left the house and started in on his slow walk home.

Rather than sit at his desk, which was piled high with schoolbooks and other stuff Reggie didn’t want to examine too closely, he sat on his bed and methodically worked his way through his advanced calculus homework. There was a comfort in numbers for Reggie. The answer was either right or wrong; there was no grey area where he could second-guess himself. And he was good with them, better than most people realized.

As he finished up with the last question, he heard the front door slam. Thankful he’d loaded up with sandwiches at the Patterson house and had raided the pantry for snacks and sodas the moment he got back Reggie pulled his headphones. Hitting play on his Spotify, the dulcet tones of Home Free singing _Ring of Fire_ by The Man in Black, one of his favorite ever country singers, relaxing him enough as he moved onto his history homework, and essay on something he was positive hadn’t been covered in class, despite him having notes in his own handwriting to contradict him.

For two hours straight, Reggie managed to block out the arguing with music and schoolwork before it got too much. His mom had resorted to throwing things again, the sound reverberating through the entire house, as she shrieked at his dad. He slammed his book closed in sheer frustration. Was it wrong to want them to be normal, for just one evening so he could study? Closing his eyes, he took a couple of deep breaths before getting to his feet and grabbing his go bag. After he shoved his schoolbooks inside along with his phone, charger, and some spare, freshly laundered, clothes. The wash bag was still inside from the last time he’d needed to escape. Taking a deep breath, he went down into the lion’s den to assess the situation, just in case he’d be able to stay in his own room.

“What the fuck do you want?” his dad snapped as Reggie walked into the kitchen, carrying his trash that went straight into the trashcan.

“Nothing, sir. I just needed a top up of my drink while I finish up my homework.” Reggie kept his voice measured and quiet. No matter how much he wanted to tell his parents exactly what he thought of their fighting, he kept his mouth shut and his head down – had done ever since Ricky had left. His brother had been the brave one, often answering back – and getting away with it.

“Hurry your ass up about it.”

He did as he was told, went back up to his room, shoved the can of soda into his bag, and climbed out of the window. It looked like he’d be spending another night or more at the Patterson’s house. At least there he knew he would get a decent amount of sleep, wouldn’t have to worry if his parents had filled the pantry, and Mr. and Mrs. Patterson would even be happy to see him. His parents would know where he was, not that they ever checked up on him, and carry on with their lives.

He’d spend almost half of his life climbing in and out of Luke’s bedroom window, and his friend’s parents simply accepted it. Mrs. Patterson had tried to give him his own key to their front door once, but Reggie refused because of his habit of losing things. He was happy enough scaling the side of their home and tapping on the glass quietly, knowing Luke would always hear him.

“Hey, Reg.” Luke kept his voice low as he helped the other boy into his room. Alex was already sitting on the airbed, surrounded by his own schoolwork, watching him shuck off his boots. Without a word, the blond moved over so there was enough space for the two of them and all their books. Luke sat back on his bed, his ever-present journal open next to him along with his acoustic. He had a plectrum clamped between his teeth, a common sight, and was clearly working on something.

“Hey.” Was all Reggie said as he leaned against the side of Luke’s bed and pulling his books out of his bag. He may be somewhere he was welcome, but he still had an essay to finish. Alex was working on something for his English class, one headphone in his ear to help him concentrate. Reggie did the same and tried to concentrate. Sadly, the short walk over had sapped him of his motivation and it he soon staring at the pages in front of him.

As he let his thoughts wander away from history, Flynn’s face flitted through his mind for the first time that day and he couldn’t help but wonder if with his friends had manifested the memory of her somehow.


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tis me again. A bit more Reggie for your reading pleasure.
> 
> Who's streaming JATP today? I am at 9pm my time (UK) and will be on a video call with some friends. 
> 
> Also, how chaotic was that damn live today? I am HERE for it.
> 
> If you want to yell at me, hit me up on Tumblr [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/)

_Chapter Three:_

Reggie and Alex watched as Luke drove out of the school parking lot before walking together into the building. He knew both of them were nervous about seeing Bobby for the first time after the ‘breakup’ over the weekend. Reggie was relieved to know Bobby wouldn’t cause an argument, but it was still going to be weird. They’d hung out together every day for the past three years, and now he didn’t know what was going to happen.

“Do you think he’ll still wanna hang with us?” he asked Alex quietly as they walked through the busy hall to their lockers. When they arrived, Bobby was nowhere to be seen; Reggie wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not. He may have been glad Bobby had quit the band, but he’d still been one of Reggie’s best friends.

“Judging by that, no.” Alex nodded his head to indicate a group at the other end of the hall. Bobby was stood with a bunch of guys Reggie didn’t recognize. They were all dressed in leather, black clothes, and spiked boots. Bobby stood out like a sore thumb among them thanks to his white tee and red jeans. As the two of them watched the group for a moment, their former guitarist turned and stared at them, a sneer on his face. The dig he’d made about his speaking to other people about joining their band still stung, but as far as the three remaining members of Sunset Curve were concerned, it was his loss and not theirs.

“I guess not. Let’s get to class.”

Following Alex, Reggie tried not to look at Bobby as they passed by him and his new friends, but the two of them locked eyes and for a moment, Reggie wondered if he saw a hint of regret in Bobby’s eyes. As they walked to their first class, he could see a few people watching them, clearly wondering why the friends were no longer such, but Reggie managed to ignore them despite the horrible feeling it put in his stomach.

:: ::

For a week, Reggie had been bombarded with questions from people who followed Sunset Curve about why Bobby wasn’t part of their group anymore. So what if he, Alex, Bobby, and Luke had been inseparable for the past three years; it wasn’t the first time friends fell out, and it wouldn’t be the last before they graduated. It happened all the time in high school, but for some reason, this time was different. And it frustrated the hell out of him.

“I don’t get why everyone’s so damn interested, anyway.” He griped to Alex as they ate their lunch together. “The girls swap friends and social circles all the time and no one’s bothered by it. Why is it different with us?”

“That’s because it never lasts long with them. Plus, we’re all used to them falling out. We’ve all been friends for years, and with the band-”

“The band’s better off without him. We sound better and there’s no more fighting.” Reggie couldn’t help snap at Alex, causing his blond friend to look at him in shock. Reggie rarely, if at all, raised his voice at anyone in anger. “Sorry.” He apologized instantly, looking down at his hands. He turned them over and over, knotting his fingers together – a nervous tic he’d had for years.

“Reg, believe me, you never need to apologize to me. Not for being honest or for getting pissed off.” Alex kept his voice low. It was a voice Reggie recognized; it was the one both Alex and Luke used when he’d had a rough time at home. “You’re allowed to get angry, at me, at Luke, and especially at that douche.” He jabbed his thumb over his finger in the general direction where Bobby was sitting with his new friends. Reggie glanced over at them, not surprised to see a large portion of the group smoking. He was a little relieved Bobby wasn’t one of them though.

“Yeah, I know.” He sighed, untangling his hands to drain his drink. “I just hope Luke finds us somewhere to rehearse, and soon.” Once again, a change of subject was neatly administered. Alex looked at him closely for a minute before letting out a sigh. But he wasn’t wrong. They’d been able to practice a little in Luke’s den before Mr. and Mrs. Patterson got home from work, but it wasn’t the same without Alex’s drums and the three of them were getting frustrated at not being able to rock out properly. Alex had resorted to using the kit in the music room to beat out his frustrations while Reggie watched.

“Yeah, me too. Luke’s okay though. He gets to sing every day outside _Downtown Beans._ The rest of us don’t have that luxury. My drum machine’s great, but it’s not the same”

“Has he actually spoken to that girl yet?” Reggie asked, sniggering. Their lead singer was rarely so uncertain when it came to girls and it was, in Reggie’s opinion at least, hilarious to see. Even though Luke wasn’t in a band for the girls, he attracted them like flies to horse shit.

“Not yet, the coward. But I think he actually really likes her.”

“It’s nice to be reminded he’s a human rather than a music machine.” Reggie chuckled as he and Alex dumped their trash, ready for their next classes.

:: ::

Luke was waiting for them after school as usual. Even as they crossed the lot and walked toward his car, Reggie could see his friend was bouncing on the balls of his feet, the way he did when he was holding something in that he couldn’t wait to tell them.

“About time you guys.” He spun around to face them as they approached, his eyes bright and his cheeks flushed.

“What’s crawled up your butt?” Alex asked as the three of them climbed into Luke’s Chevy so he could drive them back to his house. Rather than explain himself, Luke turned the stereo up loud, joining in with the chorus of Mumford and Sons’ _I Will Wait_ at the top of his voice. He drummed his hands against the wheel as he maneuvered the car through the streets of their suburb and was soon pulling into the empty drive at his house.

“What’s going on, Luke.” Alex asked him when they were finally inside the house. He and Reggie sat at the table in the kitchen while Luke moved around the kitchen, unable to settle himself.

“We’ve got a lead on a new studio. I went and checked it out yesterday and it’s amazing you guys, but I said that the three of us needed to agree before we made a decision.”

After Luke filled them in, explaining how Flynn had found it for them. At the mention of her name, Reggie felt his cheeks flush. He still thought about the girl he’d only met once. Luke drove them over to a suburb none of them had much reason to go to often and let them into a garage with a wide smile on his face.

The similarities to Bobby’s garage struck Reggie the moment he walked in. Except it looked better cared for whereas Bobby and his dad had kind of let their almost fall to ruin.

“There’s even a bathroom out the back, which means we wouldn’t be disturbing Mr. Molina every time Reggie drinks too much soda and needs to go to the bathroom every five minutes.” Reggie tried to take offence to what Luke was saying, but he couldn’t quite manage it and his friends just laughed at him. Rehearsing was thirsty work and Reggie needed to keep hydrated.

“When can we move our stuff in?” he asked, grinning at the two of them, picturing their instruments and Luke’s beloved couch in the space around them. Then, Julie’s dad turned up.

Ray Molina was the nicest guy Reggie had ever met – apart from Luke’s dad despite what he said – and had welcomed them into his home and offered them food and drinks. He seemed excited about the garage being used, although Reggie wondered if he knew what he was letting himself and his family in for with Sunset Curve. They hadn’t had a reputation for being quiet back at Bobby’s neighborhood.

He’d promised he’d look into soundproofing the space when Reggie had mentioned this, which meant that Mr. Molina was officially Reggie’s favorite adult. Anyone who was willing to go out of their way to help a bunch of teenagers they didn’t know was alright in his book. It was also the weirdest feeling for the bassist. Yeah, Luke’s parents looked out for the three of them, but they’d also known them for pretty much their entire lives. His and Alex’s parents were the complete opposite, so to have a complete stranger take an interest was… different.

So much so, when it was time to leave, Reggie found it hard to drag himself out of the house, not wanting to leave the welcoming home. They’d sat in the kitchen with Mr. Molina, chatting about their music for almost an hour and Reggie hadn’t felt so valid and listened to as a person for a long time. And he’d loved every minute of it.


	5. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off. Thank you @lbswasp for the cat-puccino idea. It was too adorable not to include it, and you just know Reggie would love it.
> 
> If you need to shout at me on Tumblr (I adore message in my inbox btw) [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/)

_Chapter Four:_

After the band set up the garage at Julie’s house, all them were too tired to actually rehearse. When Luke offered him another night at his place, Reggie refused despite not wanting to go home. Instead, he decided to go for a walk, having all the time in the world. It was just after seven in the evening when he himself outside _Downtown Beans._ He hadn’t planned on heading downtown, but when he realized where he was he decided to go inside. He could at least have a coffee and a snack before finally forcing himself to go home.

The coffee house was almost empty when he entered and when he approached the counter, a tall blond guy who looked like he was on steroids turned to face him.

“What can I get you?” he asked, his voice higher pitched that Reggie had expected. Trying not to laugh, he ordered a cappuccino, paid, and waited for it the barista to make it up. He debated asking him to draw him a pretty picture with the frothy milk, but wasn’t sure the beefcake would be capable of drawing more than a blob. That would be more disappointing than no art at all; and Reggie had enough disappointment in his life already.

“Thanks, man.” Once he had his drink, he sat down at a table by the window. As he sipped at the coffee, which was delicious in spite of the lack of milk art, Reggie watched people walking past without even glancing at the large window. He couldn’t help but wonder what was happening in each person’s life; were they happy? Were they hiding their real feelings from the world? Did they have the support of amazing friends the way he did in Luke and Alex?

“Hey, I know you.” A voice behind him shook him from his thoughts and when he turned to see Flynn standing behind him he jumped slightly and spilled some of his coffee on his hand.

“Hi. Yeah, we played the open mic the other night.” As he wiped his hand with a paper napkin, Flynn slid into the seat opposite him. He hoped she remembered him.

“Oh, you’re in music man Luke’s band, right?” Of course she would remember Luke. She probably saw him most days, and they spoke a lot.

“Sunset Curve, tell your friends.” He couldn’t help himself, the familiar phrase fell from his lips before he even thought about it. “Sorry, force of habit.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it. You guys were good, so I’ll let you off. Just this once though.” She grinned widely at him, and for a second, Reggie forgot how to breathe. Even in her work uniform, she was gorgeous.

“Thanks. It was a great night.” They’d only performed one song, but the atmosphere had been one of the best Reggie had experienced in a while at a gig.

“Have you guys picked up any more followers and stuff?” Flynn asked as she looked over at the counter. Reggie wondered if she was looking for a way to stop talking to him.

“I don’t know. We don’t really monitor that kind of thing.”

“What? Surely you keep an eye on social media and stuff like that?”

“Luke’s the only one who really has the time for that at the moment, and he spends most of his time outside this place.”

“Oh, are you studying?”

“Yeah, senior year.”

“Oh, you look younger.” Reggie grinned at her, realizing she though he was at college.

“Senior year of high school.” This time, he laughed out loud at the ‘o’ shape her mouth made at his words. “But I’ll take it as a compliment that you thought I was in college.”

Before Flynn could respond, Nick from behind the counter called out her name and she had to rush back to work with an apology. Alone again, Reggie drained his cup and debated leaving. It wasn’t late, and his dad was back on early shifts so would be at home. He couldn’t remember what rotation his mom was on at the hospital and he didn’t want to run the risk of walking into yet another argument.

Pulling his wallet out of his pocket, he checked what cash he had on him, and decided to spring for another cappuccino. He approached the counter as Nick was leaving.

“Another?” Flynn asked, smiling brightly at him.

“Please.” He laid his money out on the counter, making sure to leave her a tip.

“I’ll bring it over. Want a muffin?” He did, but he didn’t have that much cash with him. He’d left most of his money at Luke’s where he knew it was safe, and now regretted not grabbing more the last time he was over there.

“No, I’m good.” Reggie smiled and returned to his seat. Once again, his gaze drifted to the street outside and the people who were walking past. He wondered if any of them had escaped a crappy home life the way his brother did, the way he wanted to.

“Here you go.” Flynn reappeared next to him, placing a fresh coffee and a muffin in front of him.

“I didn’t order the muffin.”

“It’s the last one, and would only end up in the trash, so don’t worry about it.”

Reggie felt his face heat up as he looked back down at the items in front of him.

“Oh my God… is that a…” he looked over at Flynn who was grinning at him, her dark eyes bright as she watched him. “You made me a… a… a cat-puccino?” Flynn laughed at his exclamation as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and snapped a photo. “Flynn, this looks amazing.”

“I get a lot of down time on the late shift, so I fill my time practicing. Helps me avoid doing my schoolwork.”

“Now that last bit I can totally relate to.” Reggie looked down at his drink again. “I almost don’t want to drink it. I always wanted a puppy, but after seeing this, I’m partial to a kitten now.”

“Drink it, I can always make more. It’s easy once you know how.” Flynn waved her had at him, telling him to drink up. He did as he was told out of habit and sipped at it.

“It’s almost making me want to get a part time job as a barista just so I can learn to do this.” He swirled his finger in the froth, before shoving the digit between his lips. A discreet cough attracted his attention back to Flynn, who was looking out of the window, but her swaying braids made him wonder if she’d been watching him, then looked away when he turned to her.

The idea made him feel a little warm and he put his coffee down to pick up the muffin instead. With careful precision, he ripped in half and held the half still on the plate out to the girl sitting opposite him.

“Here.”

“Thanks.”

The two of them ate their food in silence for a couple of minutes before Flynn broke it.

“I could teach you, you know.” Reggie was confused. Something must have crossed his face because Flynn let out a soft laugh. “The pictures on top of the cappuccino. I could teach you how to do them, and more.”

“You would do that?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“I mean… you barely know me. We’ve met what, once?”

“Yeah, but you’re nice guy. I can tell.”

“Oh yeah? How?” he couldn’t help but grin at her.

“You got excited about a cat made out of frothy milk. Psychopaths don’t do that.”

“I could be a good actor.”

“Nah… your face is too open for acting. I stand by my statement. You’re a nice guy,” she narrowed her eyes at him, moving them over his face. “You hide it behind flirting and your bassist persona, but yeah. You’re a good one.”

Reggie didn’t know what to say. It was as if Flynn could see right through him, and he wasn’t sure how to feel about it. She wasn’t completely right, but she wasn’t totally wrong either. Rather than reply, he sipped at his coffee, fidgeting a little under Flynn’s curious gaze. Eventually he got up the courage to speak.

“That would be great, to learn the coffee thing.”

“Come on then, before I need to clean it all out ready to close.”

Reggie followed her behind the counter and listened to Flynn’s instructions, breathing in the aroma of coffee and something he could only describe as pure sass emanating from her braids.


	6. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you like this chapter... You'll understand why.
> 
> Do you guys think there's anything missing? I keep reeling like there is, but I can't put my finger on what. If you have any ideas, let me know in the comments or over on tumblr because it's driving me nuts.. [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/)

_Chapter Five:_

Reggie arrived at school in a good mood, making Alex look at him with a strange look on his face.

“You’re chirpy this morning.” He commented as the two of them walked together to their lockers.

“I had a great night’s sleep.” And he had. His dad was on nights, and his mom had worked the late shift at the hospital, so Reggie had the house to himself. He’d had a soak in the bath, listened to music while catching up on his homework. By the time he’d climbed into his bed, he was fully relaxed and fell asleep to the sound of silence surrounding him in place of screaming and fighting.

When he woke up, he’d heard his parents in the kitchen, but their voices were a low hum rather than a cacophony of noise.

“That’s great, Reg.” Alex did sound happy for him, but there was still a hint of something to his voice. Reggie decided to ignore it and get on with his day before they met up with Luke for rehearsal. After that, he was going back to _Downtown Beans_ to meet up with Flynn – and he was looking forward to that most of all.

They’d spent almost two hours together, in the closed coffee shop, him following her commands and making a mess. While he hadn’t been able to conjure up any pretty pictures, he’d made Flynn laugh, and that was worth it to him. Worth the frustration of not being able to do something. Especially when his first attempt at what Flynn told him should be a candle ended up looking far too much like a penis for Reggie’s liking – something that had made Flynn almost collapse from laughing so hard.

“Reg, you listening?” Alex’s question jolted him from his memories of the previous evening.

“Oh, yeah. I agree.”

“You just agreed to me stripping naked and belly-dancing on the table?”

“Yeah, sur- wait, what?”

Alex laughed.

“I _knew_ you weren’t listening.”

“Sorry, man. I was thinking about… er… calculus homework.”

“Yeah, okay.” It was a phrase Reggie knew well coming from Alex’s mouth. “Anyway, I _was_ asking if you were going home after school today or coming straight to rehearsal.”

“Oh. I’ll probably come to rehearsal, give mom and dad the chance to go to work before I go home.”

“How are things going over there?”

"Dad’s on nights, and mom worked late last night, so I was able to just chill. It was nice.” Nice was such a bland word, but Reggie wasn’t like Luke who was able to conjure up different words that truly expressed real feelings, while Reggie stuck with… nice.

“I’m glad for you, bro. You need it. But, if things turn to shit again, you know you can come to me or Luke.” Alex didn’t need to say it, Reggie knew they had his back, always had. They weren’t just his friends, they were his family.

At that moment, an electric guitar began playing over the school PA system, and Reggie recognized Bobby’s voice as he counted an intro. Reggie sighed sadly, missing his friend.

:: ::

After the rehearsal, the first proper one in their new space – oops, studio. Reggie made a mental note to call it this whenever Luke was around – which sounded fantastic, Reggie made his way back to the coffee shop. Before the end of school, he’d text Luke, asking him to bring some of the money he had squirreled away in the singer’s bedroom, so he could at least cover some of the coffee they wasted the previous evening.

When he arrived at the coffee shop, Reggie walked in with confidence, which soon dissolved when he saw hadn’t arrived yet.

“Hey man, cappuccino?” Nick greeted him. _Downtown Beans_ was busier than it had been the night before, but Reggie had turned up earlier than he had then.

“Please, man. Thanks.”

Once he had his drink, Reggie went and sat at a table near the back of the shop and pulled some of his schoolwork out and spread his books around him. It didn’t take him long to get lost in concentration as he worked his way through his English work.

“Hey, Reggie.” Flynn’s voice startled him, his pen jolting across the page leaving a black mark across his work. “Oh, shit. I’m so sorry.” Reggie looked up at her, surprised to see a look of panic on her face.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s only notes for an essay I need to type up later.” He reassured her, grabbing her hand. The jolt of electricity shocked him and he dropped her hand as if it scalded him. “Sorry.”

“No need. Ready for another lesson later?”

“Looking forward to it.” Flynn slid onto the chair opposite him, glancing over at Nick behind the counter.

“What’s the deal with him?” Reggie asked, looking for something to talk about in order to forget the reaction he’d had to touching her.

“Who? Nick? He’s okay. He’s your stereotypical jock frat brother. He has a crush on Julie, so he kinda hates your friend, Luke. But he’s a nice enough guy to never do anything about it. Like, you don’t need to worry about him suddenly starting a fight in Julie’s honor or anything.”

“That’s good. Luke’s a snarky fucker, but he doesn’t like fighting if he can help it. He’ll mouth off because he’s got a quick temper and knows how to stand up for himself and his friends, but his fists are always a last resort.”

“Sounds like he’s a good guy.”

“He’s one of the best.” Reggie smiled at her. After smiling back, Flynn excused herself to go and take over from Nick. Reggie watched her with the customers, smiling and chatting. He could see she was a real people person and was in her element. Before returning his attention back to his work, he stood, stretched the kinks out of his body, and then approached the counter for a refill.

“A muffin too?” Flynn asked him.

“Half a muffin?” He grinned as she flashed him a brilliant smile.

“I’ll bring them over.” She told him after taking his money, refusing the tip he tried to give her.

A few minutes later, a fresh coffee, this time with an intricate leaf pattern in the milk.

“This looks amazing.” He complimented her.

“Thanks. It’s easier that the cat, so maybe we’ll try this one later.”

The idea of spending time with Flynn, alone, filled him with a feeling of excitement and something else.

:: ::

“Yes! I did it!” Reggie whooped and hollered as the leaf on top of the coffee took shape and was more recognizable than a blob. As Flynn cheered and applauded, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and took a selfie with the cup before putting it on the counter.

“Yeah, you did. It looks great.” Flynn flung her arms around him, planting her lips against his. Reggie froze for a second, but it was long enough for her to pull away, mumbling an apology. Once he got over the shock of her making the first move, Reggie took hold of her hand and pulled her in close to his body.

“Don’t apologize.” He spoke softly before closing the gap between then, capturing her lips with his own. He teased the seam of her lips with his tongue, and when she opened her mouth, he couldn’t stop the groan escaping him as it made contact with hers.

As Flynn wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his body close against hers. Reggie looped his arms around her narrow waist as they kissed, only breaking apart when they both needed air. As Reggie fought to control his breathing, he looked into her dark, brown eyes as a smile spread across both of their faces.

“That was…” There wasn’t a way he could find the words to finish the sentence he was trying to say.

“Yeah.” Flynn sighed, resting her forehead against his. His entire body hummed from the feel of her in his arms. He hadn’t come to _Downtown Beans_ looking for this, but now he’d found it, he never wanted to let it go.


	7. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so blown away by the reaction my Reggie is getting. I can't believe how much you all love him (and why wouldn't anyone love Reggie??)
> 
> If you fancy chatting about this or anything else, hit me up on Tumblr [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/)

_Chapter Six:_

Reggie lounged on the couch in the Molina’s garage, scrolling through his social media. Boredom was setting in and neither of his bandmates were nowhere to be seen.

So now he was sorely regretting his choice to hang out at the garage rather than at home or at _Downtown Beans_ as he was alone with nothing to do. The coffee shop hadn’t really been an option for him though, knowing Luke spend the majority of his free time outside it, and Reggie wanted to keep his visits to himself for a little while longer.

It wasn’t until he recognized the intro to _Now or Never_ playing from his phone that he sat up straight and paid actual attention to the screen in his hand. He watched the recording of their performance from the student night through once in shock, a sense of pride flooding through him. They looked good, they sounded great and he was grinning when he grabbed Luke’s laptop which was on the table in front of him.

Turning it on, he found the video and watched it again, on full screen. He couldn’t help but laugh when it finished and he hit replay again and again. Someone had recorded their performance and uploaded it to YouTube. And people were watching it judging by the amount of views it had. Intrigued, Reggie couldn’t stop himself scrolling through the comments. The majority were positive, and more than a few were from girls drooling over Luke’s arms as usual.

Leaning back against the couch, Reggie looked around at the posters on the walls of the garage and wondered if Sunset Curve’s posters would ever be on the walls of teenage girls and music fans.

“Hey man, whatcha up to?” Luke let himself into the garage.

“Hey, dude. You need to check this out.” Reggie called out to him.

He turned the laptop to face Luke and watched his friend’s face as he watched the video of them for the first time, a wide smile spreading over his face. Once it ended, Luke spluttered through his grin, and when Reggie showed him the views and hit replay, he couldn’t stop the smile growing wider and wider.

Alex joined them as Luke watched the video again.

“What’s going on guys?” Alex asked. Reggie filled him in as Luke kept scrolling. “Really, that’s awesome.” The drummer shoved Luke over so he could sit between his bandmates. He made Reggie play the video for him and then once it was over, he scrolled through the comments, making Luke _very_ aware of the ones about his arms, making the singer roll his eyes.

When Luke left the garage to take his junior guitar over to the house to give to Carlos, Reggie and Alex watched the video again a few more times, grinning at one another at how good they sounded.

“You know, we should have become a trio ages ago because this fucking kills.” Reggie said as Alex hit replay, yet again.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“What? You don’t think we smashed that performance?”

“Oh we did. There’s no doubt about that, but I… I actually don’t know what I’m trying to say.”

“I get it man. As much of a dick Bobby was, he was still our friend and bandmate.” Reggie wrapped an arm around Alex’s shoulder. “I swear, if you’re feeling like it’s your fault for him quitting, stop it now.”

“I know it’s not, but I can’t help but feel guilty sometimes. Especially when I see how he’s acting at school. It’s so out of character for the Bobby we knew.”

“Maybe we never knew the real him. You can’t look back and try and work it all out. All we can do it look forward, especially with the band.” Reggie resting his chin on Alex’s shoulder, trying to get his friend to relax and stop worrying, which was like trying to stop the tide.

“Yeah, I know. But you know me… Mr. Overthinker.”

“Well, don’t let it worry that pretty, blond head of yours.” Without warning, he planted a sloppy kiss on the side of Alex’s face, laughing as his friend pushed him away with a groan and wiped at his cheek, a look of utter disgust on his face. Reggie was still laughing when Luke came back, looking pale.

:: ::

Giving a trip to _Downtown Beans_ a miss because he knew Flynn wasn’t working, Reggie went home after rehearsals were done, telling his friends that things had been better. He hadn’t been lying, things _had_ been better for the past couple of days, but Reggie knew things could change quickly, so rather than go inside the house and tempt fate, he watched Luke and Alex drive away before walking along the street until he arrived at the woods again.

Ever since Flynn had kissed him, Reggie hadn’t been able to stop thinking about kissing her again. The distraction of the video and their first proper rehearsal at the garage had certainly helped him to focus on something else, but the moment he was alone, all he could think about were her soft lips and the breathy moans that had escaped her as they’d made out behind the counter.

After he helped her clean up and they left the store, he’d walked her back to her dorm. Thinking back, he couldn’t remember much of what they’d spoken about, but he could remember that her favorite fruit was strawberries and that she loved going to see live music – the smaller the venue the better. Reggie could definitely remember watching he walk inside her dorm building after sharing a kiss which took his breath away and made his heart race. The uber ride back home had flown by in a haze and he’d not been able to sleep much as his body was still reacting to the feel of Flynn in his arms.

As he reached the clearing, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened up a blank text.

 _If you’re not busy, do you want to see something cool?_ He typed out the message to Flynn and hit send before playing his music through his ear buds. It took less than a minute for the reply to come through.

_How cool is ‘cool’?_

Typing out the instructions of where to find him, Reggie replied and sat down on one of the fallen logs and pulled his English books out of his bag. He still had an assignment to finish and it was still light enough for him to see.

“Hey, is this were you drug and kill me?” Flynn’s question was muffled against his music, but it still made him laugh as he closed his books before patting the log next to him, inviting her to sit down.

“And have the evidence in text form on my phone? Even I’m not that stupid.” He rolled his eyes, making her laugh as she sat down next to him.

“So, what is this place?” she asked, looking around.

“It’s my escape.” Reggie wasn’t going to admit it until the words were out of his mouth. There was something about Flynn that made him want her to know him, the real him.

“From what?” she asked softly, as if sensing it wasn’t an easy subject for him to talk about.

“Life in general, when music and the boys aren’t enough. I come here to just switch off from everything for a while.”

“It’s nice.” She looked around again, taking in the fire pit and the logs around it. “So… come here often?” a smile played at the corner of her mouth as she asked the corny pick-up line. For a moment, Reggie stared at her, struggling to keep his face straight, but eventually he burst out laughing.

“I used to, me and the boys used to camp out here with my brother, but then we started the band and kinda forgot about it. I only started coming back a few days ago.”

“I didn’t know you had a brother. Are you close?”

“We used to be, until he moved out of state for college. He doesn’t come home much, maybe at Christmas or Thanksgiving, but never both.”

Silence fell over them and Reggie wondered if he’d said too much. Feeling a little uncomfortable, he looked away from Flynn and scanned the area around them. It was still light enough to see across to the other side of the clearing before the trees began to thicken. The darkness would be creeping in soon and Reggie wanted to be able to freeze time for a couple of hours, stop the day from ending. It had been a good one, and Reggie wasn’t ready for it to morph into a new one. Also, he quite like sitting in the place, alone, with Flynn.

“That sucks, Reggie. I’m sorry.” She gently took hold of his hand, and rubbed circles on the back of it with her thumb.

“No need to apologize, it’s not your fault.”

No, the only ones at fault in all of this were his parents. His shitty excuse for a life was all down to them. And if it wasn’t for Luke and Alex, he didn’t know if he would still be… well, around.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains violence against a minor. It's not a huge amount, but it's there.
> 
> I hope you like it though.

_Chapter Seven:_

As the fight raged downstairs, Reggie sat on his bed, his blanket wrapped around him in the hopes it would block out the sound, even though he knew from experience it wouldn’t. With a deep sigh, he realized he couldn’t stay at home; he had a big history test the next day and needed to sleep. With a groan, he climbed out of bed, pulled some sweats and a t-shirt on before shoving his feet into a pair of sneakers.

As he grabbed the handle of his go bag, he heard his mum cry out. This sounded different. Usually, she was screeching at the top of her voice at her dad, calling him all the names under the sun, but this was a sound of pain. Without even thinking, Reggie dropped his bag, pulled open his door so hard it bounced off the wall behind it, and flew down the stairs. When he skidded into the kitchen, all he could see was his dad, holding his mom up against the wall, one of his large hands wrapped around her throat. Reggie couldn’t hear what his dad was hissing at his mom, but he didn’t really give a fuck.

“Get your fucking hands off my mom.” He yelled as he grabbed his dad by an arm and tried to pull him away, but his dad didn’t budge. He was too big and too strong, and Reggie was no match for him. “Leave her _alone.”_ He screamed, pummeling his fists against his dad’s back. Eventually, his dad left go of his mom, who fell to the floor, clutching her throat and gasping for breath, and turned to face Reggie. His face was screwed up in fury and he raised his hands, placed them on his son’s chest and shoved, hard.

Reggie felt his feet lift of the ground as he was flung across the kitchen. Searing pain spread across his back as he crashed into the edge of the counter top before slumping to the ground in a heap.

“Who the hell do you think you are, boy? How dare you lay a damn finger on me?” His dad stalked over to him, his voice thick with rage. “Who the _fuck_ gave you the right to put your hands on _me?”_ If he hadn’t been in so much pain, Reggie would have laughed at the irony of what his dad was saying, but it was hard to breath. Not just because of the pain, but because of the abject fear that was flooding through him.

“I-I-I-I’m sorry, sir.” Rather than look up at his dad, he looked down at the floor.

“I should fucking think so. Get the fuck out of my sight, before I knock you into next week.” Gobs of spittle landed on his hands as his dad towered over him. With agonizingly slow movements, Reggie clambered to his feet, the pain in his back shooting down his legs. Without daring to say anything to the man watching his every effort, he glanced over at his mum who was still sagged on the floor, tears streaming down her face. He wanted to apologize to her, to reassure her, to say _anything_ but he couldn’t find the words. Instead, he climbed the stairs up to his bedroom.

Without stopping, he picked up his bag, his phone, and charging cable, and made his way over to the window. Reggie wasn’t as nimble as he usually was, but he managed to climb down and stumble onto the grass of the front yard. Once he caught his breath, he got to his feet and began walking. As he got to the end of the street, he was blinded by the flashing lights of the patrol car that passed him.

:: ::

Waking on the airbed in Luke’s room wasn’t new to Reggie, but the stiffness and pain in his lower back was. With a groan, he managed to sit up. Luke was still asleep and when he checked the time on his phone, he saw it was still early. Struggling to his feet, he shuffled into the bathroom and took a hot shower in the hopes it would ease the pain in his back.

Once he was dry and dressed, Reggie felt a little better. Maybe he could ask Mrs. Patterson for some Advil with his breakfast.

“Hey.” Luke’s voice croaked as his friend sat up in bed,

“Morning.” Reggie smiled, but it didn’t feel real on his face.

“You sleep okay?” the worry in Luke’s voice was clear, and that didn’t help the guilt Reggie was feeling. He hadn’t slept much, but he couldn’t tell Luke that. He hadn’t mentioned what his dad had done to him, knowing it would both anger and worry his friend. Luke was the kind of person who would have marched straight over to Reggie’s house and squared up to his dad, which would have ended up in a complete mess.

“Not bad. Could have done with a couple more hours, but that’s nothing new.” He widened his smile as he picked up his bag to check he had everything he needed for school.

“Yeah. Senior year’s tough, man.” Luke climbed out of bed and walked into the bathroom. When he heard the shower start, Reggie made his way downstairs.

“Good morning, Reggie sweetheart.”

“Morning Mrs. Patterson.” The smile this time was genuine as the woman bustled around him making pancakes and pouring freshly squeezed orange juice.

“What can I get you?” she asked as she gently ushered him to a chair at the small table.

“Pancakes would be great, thank you. And… er… some Advil if you have any.”

“Oh, are you okay?” she pressed a cool hand against his forehead as if checking for a fever.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just have a bit of a headache is all.”

“Are you sure?” she sounded worried, the way only a mother could. It struck home how much his own mother rarely sounded this way and it made him wonder what it was about him that made his parents dislike him so much – maybe, as he thought about it, dislike wasn’t quite the right word. They were more likely to look over him, more focussed on themselves and their so-called relationship.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Thanks Mrs. Patterson.” He took the two tablets from her, picked up a glass of orange juice, and swallowed them down as Luke’s mom placed a plate of pancakes in front of him.

“You eat up and let those pain meds work their magic. Now, where is that son of mine?”

At that very moment, Luke walked into the kitchen. His hair still wet from his shower. After swiping a mouthful of Reggie’s orange juice and a pancake from his plate, the two of them left to get in the car for Luke to drive Reggie to school. 


	9. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The love everyone has for Reggie and Flynn in this story is seriously blowing my mind. I never expected this kind of reception to them.

_Chapter Eight:_

As the end of the school day approached, Reggie’s was in agony and he could feel the muscles in his back seizing up. The Advil had worn off around lunchtime and he hadn’t thought to ask Luke’s mom for some extra to bring with him. When Alex had tried to question him about it, he’d said he’d fallen climbing out of bedroom window – which wouldn’t have been the first time if Reggie was being honest – and he’d left it alone.

“What really happened?” Bobby’s voice, quiet in the library as Reggie tried to study during a free, made him jump. With a wince, Reggie turned to face his former friend.

“What are you on about?” he asked. Bobby slid into the empty chair next to him.

“Your back. What really happened? I heard you and Alex talking, and I know you were bullshitting him.”

There was something different about his friend, something more than just the changes in how he looked. His hair was longer, and darker, and the eyeliner he wore was smudged. There were also dark circles under his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“I fell. Landed on a stone in the front yard. No big.”

Bobby’s eyes roved over his face as he assessed whether Reggie was telling the truth. Although they hadn’t spoken in almost a month, the bassist knew how well the boy in front him knew him, knew how much they’d shared in the past about their home lives.

“Yeah, okay. Whatever.” With a look of disdain appearing on his face, Bobby stood up and walked away from Reggie. A feeling of sadness washed over him as he watched Bobby’s back retreating away from him and out of the library.

“Fuck.” He muttered to himself, slamming his book closed, earning a glare from the elderly librarian. Having Bobby sat next to him had almost felt like old times, the way it was before he’d become a colossal dick and walked out on him and the rest of his friends. Reggie had always imagined the four of them graduating high school and concentrating solely on Sunset Curve. He never considered the option of any of them going to college, which Bobby had told Luke he was planning on doing. Out of state, too. Reggie hated Bobby hadn’t confided in him about it.

But Reggie didn’t hate Bobby, nowhere close. He just didn’t like him much anymore, despite how much he missed his friend.

:: ::

It wasn’t strange for Reggie to stay at Luke’s house for a few days, but after a while, he started to feel like a burden to the Pattersons. They never said anything, but Reggie could tell. So, rather than go home like he said he was, he decided to go and sleep in the Molina’s garage. He snuck in through the side gate as it started to get dark, hoping that Mr. Molina or Carlos wouldn’t see him. Once he was safely inside, he dumped his backpack next to the couch and paced around the space.

The silence, for once, was reassuring rather than oppressive as he tapped his finger against one of the cymbals on Alex’s drumkit. Maybe he could make the most of his spare time and finish off his homework, but he wasn’t in the mood. He pulled his wallet out of his bag, ordered an uber, and left the garage, sneaking out the side gate again.

When he arrived at _Downtown Beans_ he was disappointed to see Julie working behind the counter instead of Flynn.

“Hey, Reggie.” She sounded surprised to see him, which told him that he wasn’t the only keeping his visits a secret from his friends. The thought caused a bolt of excitement to fizzle through his body, knowing that he and Flynn were on the same page without having to discuss it. He also wondered why she hadn’t told Julie about them spending time together – the irony wasn’t lost on him.

“Hey Julie, how’s it going?” he plastered a smile on his face as he ordered a cappuccino, which had somehow become his favorite hot drink.

“Yeah, not bad. Just pulling a few extra shifts while Flynn’s out sick.”

“Oh, what’s up with her?” it was hard, but he managed to keep the worry out of his voice. Afterall, Julie had no idea that he and Flynn were friends. Friends who made out upon occasion.

“Nothing serious, just a bit of food poisoning. She thought it was a great idea to eat week old Chinese takeout.”

Chinese food sounded wonderful to Reggie in that moment, but he managed not to say it out loud.

“I hope she gets better soon.”

“Me too. I’d like to be able to sleep in my dorm room again.” She went on to explain that Flynn’s regular bathroom visits were keeping her up all night and she’d moved back home for a few days as she had a big assignment to work on.

Reggie took his drink and sat down at the table closest to the counter. A hiss of pain escaped him as he leaned back onto where the pain was increasing just above his ass.

“What’s wrong, Reggie?”

“Nothing, I just had a fall last night, and my back is a bit sore. Hey, you don’t happen to have any Advil, do you?”

“Yeah, sure. Give me a minute.” Julie disappeared out the back, returning with a box in her hand. “Here, help yourself.”

Reggie popped out a couple of pills and washed them down with his coffee. He handed the box back to Julie, noticing her watching him with a strange look on her face.

“What?”

“What really happened?”

“I told you, I fell. I was climbing out of my window to get away from another argument at home…” he trailed off, realizing he’d said too much.

“Reggie. Did someone hurt you at home?” She asked him, straight out. Her voice was soft, and he could see genuine worry for him in her eyes. Stalling, Reggie took another sip of his coffee. He swilled it around his mouth for a couple of seconds before swallowing it down. “Look, you don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to but know you _can_ talk to me if you need to.”

Giving him a soft smile, she slid out of her seat and went back behind the counter to serve a waiting customer. Reggie finished his drink as he watched her work. The way she smiled and chatted with the customers, he could understand why Luke had become so infatuated with her. She was a lot like him, the with enough differences to make things interesting.

:: ::

Ordering another coffee, this time to go, Reggie left the coffee house. As he walked through the streets of downtown L.A., he sipped at his drink and debated heading back to the garage before Julie finished work, but he found himself walking in the opposite direction, stopping at a grocery store.

It didn’t take him long to reach the dorm building. As he approached, he wondered how he was going to get inside, but thankfully it seemed to be a co-ed dorm, judging by the group of male and female students going inside. He slipped in behind the group and stopped dead.

“Hey man, you okay?” One of the male students asked him, watching him warily.

“Er, yeah. I’m visiting a friend, and just realized I don’t know what room she’s in. Do any of you guys know Flynn?”

“Oh yeah, she and Julie are up on the top floor, third door on the right as you exit the elevator. I heard she’s sick, though.” Reggie help up his bag of supplies.

“Yeah, I know. Thanks, bro.”

Once he found the right door, Reggie paused. What if she was asleep, or didn’t want to see him? Would he piss her off by showing up unannounced? He put the bag on the floor by his feet and was about to turn away when the door opened, revealing a Flynn who looked dead on her feet, holding a washbag.

“Reggie? What are you doing here?” she croaked in surprised.

“I heard you were sick, so thought I would come and check on you.” He picked the bag up. “I brought the good stuff.”

“Well, in that case, you best come in.” Flynn stood to one side and Reggie walked into the small room. As the door closed behind him, he heard Flynn mumble something before rushing into what he could only assume was the bathroom.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took a few days to update, I've been crazy busy with real life and work...
> 
> I hope you like this chapter. It's a bit of a fluffy one which I loved writing.
> 
> If you want to scream at me, head over to Tumblr and my new Instagram account (I only have one follower over there, so more would be wonderful)  
> [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/)  
> [vicesinstagram](https://www.instagram.com/vicesvsvirtuesfanfic/)

_Chapter Nine:_

While Flynn was in the bathroom, Reggie made his way into the small kitchenette in the corner of the room to heat up the chicken noodle soup he’d bought. He also poured out a glass of diluted apple juice placing it and some crackers next to the bowl, and put everything onto a tray. When Flynn emerged from the bathroom, she looked worse than before.

“Get into bed.” Once she did as she was told, Reggie carried the tray over and placed it on the side table. “Sip the juice and eat small amounts of that soup. The crackers should help settle your stomach.” As he stopped talking, he noticed Flynn was staring at him. “What?” He wiped at his face in case there was something on it, making her laugh.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the company, and the food, but why are you really here?” she didn’t sound pissed, but Reggie worried he’d overstepped. He looked down at his hands, clasped in front of him, as he tried to work out what to say.

“I’m sorry, I’ll just go, leave you to recover.” He turned to leave, but Flynn’s voice stopped him.

“No, don’t.” It was small and a little reedy, but it was clear to him she didn’t want him to leave. “I’m sorry, I’m shitty when I’m sick.” Reggie turned around to face her again, wincing at the pull in his lower back. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Now, eat those crackers.” As Flynn picked up a cracker and gingerly bit a small piece off, Reggie sat on Julie’s empty bed, watching her closely.

“I never knew you were so bossy. I kinda like it.” She grinned at him, and he could feel the heat in his face. “Oh, the blush is cute as hell.”

“Stop teasing me while you’re sick. I feel as if I can’t retaliate, and that’s not fair.” Reggie whined at her, a smile on his face. “Eat more.” Again, Flynn did as he instructed.

:: ::

As Flynn slept, Reggie wished he’d thought to bring his schoolbooks with him. He could have used the quiet time to catch up with his homework. Careful to keep quiet, he stood up off Julie’s bed and walked over to the small bookcase. Halfway through scanning the titles, most of which he recognized, Reggie got bored.

Looking back over at Flynn to check she was still asleep before sitting back on Julie’s bed and pulling his phone out of his pocket. He lay back as he scrolled through his social media.

“Don’t you have a home to go to?” he jumped at the sound of Flynn’s voice in the silent room.

“Trying to get rid of me?” he asked back, avoiding her question, as he sat up to face her. He could see she looked better than she had when he’d turned up. The crackers, the soup, and a couple hours of sleep had obviously done her some good.

“Totally.” Reggie matched her grin with one of his own.

“You look better.”

“I feel it. The soup and crackers helped, thank you.” Flynn sat up in bed, wiping at her face. “Wow, I kinda stink.”

Reggie remembered the wash bag she’d been holding when she’d opened the door.

“Why don’t you go and take a shower while I make you some more soup and crackers?”

“You don’t have to do that. It’s late and your parents are probably worried about you.” Reggie snorted, unkindly. “What did that mean?”

“It’s nothing. You go grab a shower, get freshened up, and I’ll sort you out some food.” He avoided her gaze for a few seconds before getting up and moving over to pick up her used dishes from earlier, carrying them over to wash them in the sink.

“Okay, thanks.”

As Reggie concentrated on using the small, two-burner stove to heat up another can of chicken noodle soup, he washed the bowl from earlier. Behind him, he could hear Flynn get up and move around the room before leaving the room, pulling the door behind her quietly. The moment he was alone, he let out a nervous sigh.

Once the food was ready, he piled everything on the tray again before putting some music on at a low volume. He was standing in the middle of the room when Flynn came back in, looking much more human. Reggie watched as she put her wash bag away and her dirty clothes in the hamper before she approached him. Without saying a word, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him in for a tight hug, Reggie let out a yelp of pain.

“Shit, sorry. Are you okay?” she jumped away from him, panic in her voice. “Did I hurt you? Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Reggie.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not your fault.” He lifted a hand to rub his back, wincing as he made contact with the sore area.

“Here, let me take a look.” Flynn walked around him and lifted up his shirt. “Jesus, Reggie. This is nasty. Have you had this looked at?”

“No, it’s just a bruise. It’ll ease up soon enough.”

“Have you even seen it yourself?”

“No.”

“Come here.” She led him over to the closet and pulled open one of the doors. Inside was a full-length mirror. She spun him around and lifted his shirt up so he could see the dark purple bruise covering almost all of his lower back. It looked as painful as it felt. “How the hell did you do that?”

“I fell, landed on a rock in my front yard. No big.”

“There’s no way a fall did that.” She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. “You don’t have to tell me the truth but know I’m willing to listen.”

It was what Julie had said earlier at _Downtown Beans_ and it made him smile. Taking hold of her hand, he led her over to her bed before collecting the tray.

“You eat, I’ll talk.”

:: ::

When Reggie finally stopped talking, Flynn had eaten all of her soup and crackers, and had a furious look on her face; Reggie was almost scared of her.

“I can’t believe this.” She muttered over and over as she took her dishes over to the sink and washed them up. She was banging around in anger and Reggie didn’t know how to calm her down. She was still sick, and he didn’t want her to get worse. “Who else knows?” she asked as she turned to face him.

“About what part?”

“Any of it.”

Luke, Alex, and Bobby know about the arguments, but you’re the only one who knows about dad pushing me like that.” He half expected her to explode at him, but instead, she sat next to him on Julie’s bed and tool hold of his hands.

“Why didn’t you tell them?” her voice was soft and thankfully, Reggie couldn’t detect and pity in it. He _hated_ pity.

“Because they’re my friends and I know them. Alex would have fussed over me and Luke would have confronted my dad. I didn’t need wither thing to happen.”

“Did you call and tell your brother?”

“I haven’t spoken to Ricky properly in months. He’s got a new life, one that doesn’t involve protecting his little brother from raised voices anymore.” Anger grew in him, and he hated that he felt this way about his brother, but Ricky had abandoned him, left him to deal with everything alone.

“I’m sorry.” Flynn rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. It wasn’t much, but her words meant a lot. “I’m so sorry you’ve been dealing with this all alone.”

“I haven’t been alone. I’ve had my friends. The boys, they’re my family and mean the world to me. They’ve been there for me since I was a kid.” He looked up into her eyes and smiled. “They’re my best friends, my brothers, and I can’t imagine being without them. So, there’s no need to feel sorry for me.”

Rather than argue with him, Flynn leaned over and captured his lips in a soft, slow kiss. Her arms snaked around his neck as he grabbed her hips and pulled her onto his lap, moaning when she rubbed against his arousal.

Pulling away to suck in a deep breath, he grinned at her.

“I’m so glad you brushed your teeth when you went for a shower.”

Flynn laughed and slapped at his arm before pulling at him so he was above her.

“Shut up and kiss me again.”


	11. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in updating. Life has been kicking my ass and my mojo has just disappeared. I'm slowly getting it back.  
> If, after this chapter, you want to shout at me, hit me up on Tumblr [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/)  
> or Instagram (which I need to do more with tbh) [vicesinstagram](https://www.instagram.com/vicesvsvirtuesfanfic/)

_Chapter Ten:_

Sitting in the back of his uber after walking Flynn to work, Reggie couldn’t help but smile to himself. Waking up tangled around Flynn’s body, soft and warm, was something he hoped he could experience again. When he’d turned up outside her door the previous evening, he only wanted to look after her, not to end up in bed with her. But their kisses, which had started off slow and sweet, had soon turned passionate.

Reggie had been hesitant to take things further, worried about Flynn being sick, but she’d insisted she was fine. She’d certainly proven it as they’d fallen back onto Julie’s bed. Something Flynn had sworn him to secrecy about as she’d stripped the bedding off to wash.

Sneaking through the back gate and into the garage, Reggie was relieved not to find Luke or Alex inside. He made his way into the small bathroom at the back of their rehearsal space and took a quick shower after flicking on the stereo, Ed Sheeran’s _Photograph_ filled the space around him as he closed the door behind him. He didn’t want to wash the smell of Flynn that still clung to him, but he knew his friends were like bloodhounds when it came to him and girls. Reggie wanted to keep whatever was happening between him and Julie’s best friend to himself for a little longer.

When he emerged into the garage dressed in fresh clothes from his go bag, he picked his phone up to see a text from Flynn.

_I’m sure sleeping with my nurse breaks a boatload of rules, but I wouldn’t mind it happening again, soon._

Reggie grinned, hiding his phone as he heard Luke and Alex’s voices outside the door.

“Hey Reg, you’re here early.”

“Yeah, left home before mom and dad started up.” The lie formed easily, and Luke seemed not to notice, but Alex looked at him shrewdly before shrugging off his backpack and jacket. Luke flopped onto the couch and looked like he was staring into space. Reggie shared a look with Alex, worry flooding through him.

Since graduating high school, Luke’s dark days weren’t as frequent as they used to be – Reggie thought it was because he now had more time to devote to his music, and things were the best they’d been at home for a while – but when they did creep up on him, it took him a while to completely return to himself. He was on day three of his current ‘attack’, and while he was smiling and joking around, both of his best friends could tell he wasn’t quite himself yet and knew to just go along with it. It wouldn’t be long before the mania took over the darkness and he threw himself deep into his music. He wrote some of his best work during these times and both Reggie and Alex made sure he didn’t try to chase that creativity too much.

“We need some more shows.” Luke announced, suddenly sitting up and looking at the two of them.

“Yeah, but how are we gonna find any?” Alex asked. “Me and Reg are still in school and you keep spending all your time mooning at Julie over at _Downtown Beans._ Reggie laughed, soon disguising it as a cough when Luke glared at him. And this was why he was keeping whatever was happening between he and Flynn just between them.

:: ::

After telling Luke and Alex he was going to hang in the garage to finish off some schoolwork, Reggie pulled out the sofa bed and made himself comfortable. He’d once again connected his phone to the stereo and the gentle strains of Old Dominion’s _One Man Band_ filtered over to him. He lay back, closed his eyes, and thought about the night he’d spent with Flynn. He didn’t usually have the best luck with girls, and his attempts to talk to them – especially after a show – were often met with a smile before they gazed longingly at Luke. Reggie wasn’t a virgin, having had a semi-serious relationship in junior year with a girl in his calculus class, but she’d soon moved on once they’d fumbled in a dark room at a party after junior prom.

Somehow, Reggie sensed that whatever was happening between he and Flynn was different. He couldn’t work out why, or even how he’d managed to attract her attention anyway. Feeling restless, he got to his feet and paced around the space in front of Alex’s drums.

“What’s going on here?” Flynn’s voice sounded from the doorway. When Reggie turned to look at her, he saw she was leaning up against the frame watching him.

“Hey, you look amazing. How you feeling now?” he asked as he watched her enter the garage, turn to pull the door closed behind her, and slowly approach him.

“Oh, I’m good as new. I had a great nurse it would seem.”

Her words made him grin as he placed his hands on her hips, pulling her in close to him. There was a voice muttering in his head, telling him he wasn’t good enough for her and how she would be better off with someone, anyone, else. It sounded eerily like his dad.

“Well, did you ever thank your nurse?” the smirk on his face got wider as he knew full well she had, more than once.

“I did, but I do feel more thanks is needed. Without my nurse, there’s no way I would have felt well enough to go into work today.” She stood on her tiptoes to bring her lips in close to his ear. “I think he deserves all I gave him last night, and more.”

Before Reggie could respond, Flynn stepped back out of his hold, pulled a cushion from the couch to drop on the floor and sank to her knees in front of him.

“Flynn, you don’t nee-” She cut his words off by her undoing the button fly on his jeans.

:: ::

Once again, Reggie woke up with a naked Flynn in his arms and realized he never wanted to wake up in any other way. Not only was he warm and comfortable, he felt wanted, needed. Angling his head slightly, he looked down at Flynn as she slept, her head once again resting on his chest, her loose braids covering her face. Gently, he brushed her hair to the side so he could look at her face.

Whenever Flynn talked, she was animated. Her entire face lit up when she got excited about something and her hands would wave around as if she were conducting an orchestra. Seeing her so still and peaceful was something he felt not many people saw. Her face was relaxed and her full lips were parted a little as she let out soft snores that brushed her warm breath across his chest.

“It’s creepy to watch someone while they’re sleeping.” Her voice was croaky from sleep and it made him smile.

“I can’t help it. I like seeing you like this, and you look so good laying on me like that.” Reggie placed a kiss on the top of her head, breathing in the aroma of coffee that clung to her hair. Underneath it, was the scent of mint he guessed was from her shampoo. He felt her smile against his skin before she sat up, pulling the blanket up to cover her nakedness.

“It’s not the worst way to wake up,” she smiled at him before leaning over to place her lips against his. “But, unfortunately, it has to end.”

“You have a shift?” Reggie didn’t even bother to hide the disappointment from his voice.

“Actually, no. I have the day off.”

“Then why can’t we spend the day here, like this?” he felt his lips shift from a smile into a pout which made Flynn laugh and kiss him again.

“Because I promised Luke I’d help him with finding you guys a show. I need to go and speak to a couple of the professors at school before I’m able to tell him for definite if I’ve been successful.”

More disappointment flooded through him, but he knew it would be pointless saying anything; Flynn was the type of person who, once she set her mind to something, nothing swayed her. He’d learned that much already about her. He pulled her close and pressed his lips against hers, this kiss soon turning passionate. After a while, Flynn pulled away, placed a hand on Reggie’s chest, and looked him in the eye.

“Oh no. You’re not starting something I can’t finish, not right now. I gotta go, I’m sorry.”

“Are you?” the question was out of his mouth before he could stop. The moment he spoke the words, he wished he could take them back when he saw the look on Flynn’s face. In silence, she pulled her clothes on before sitting back down next to him.

“Reggie. I don’t know what your parents have said to make you constantly question the people around you, and I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry that you feel as if people aren’t being honest when they show you affection, but I promise you. I never say anything I don’t mean, and I will never lie to you.” She cupped his face between her hands and lifted it so he was looking her in the eyes. “I mean it.”

“Thank you.”


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting, I've been a bit... meh, recently. I hope this chapter makes up for it - for the few of you reading it anyways.
> 
> If you ever need to shout at me, hit me up on Tumblr [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/) or Instagram [vicesinstagram](https://www.instagram.com/vicesvsvirtuesfanfic/)

_Chapter Eleven:_

It had been a long day at school and the only thing that had kept Reggie going through boring ass classes was the thought of seeing Flynn again, and soon. Throughout the day, he’d been assaulted with memories of her. How soft her skin was under his fingers, how it felt to have her in his arms, what she sounded like when she was turned on, what the birthmark on the inside of her left thigh looked like – it reminded him of a ribbon – and most of all, what she looked like first thing in the morning.

When they went out to meet Luke, he was so excited he couldn’t keep still. The moment they reached him and his car, he announced that Flynn had managed to get them a paying gig. It was a campus gig again, but it was paid, and they would be performing a full set and they would have a support act.

“Dude, that’s epic. How many favors do you owe her now?” Reggie asked as they got into the car, his mind in overdrive. Maybe she would accept repayment from him instead… unknown to Luke, obviously. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he sent her a quick text while his two friends discussed the details of the show.

_I’m willing to pay back one of the favors Luke owes you._

He shoved his phone away before either Luke or Alex saw it and asked who he was messaging and joined in with the conversation.

“Our first show without Bobby, gonna be weird.” He stated to the back of Luke’s head. Alex turned to face him as he told Luke about Bobby joining a new band and how he’d heard them rehearsing in school. Luke was still bitter about how he’d quit Sunset Curve and his attitude in general – not that Reggie could blame him – and it showed in his comments about their former bandmate.

Thankfully, Alex was able to distract Luke’s attention away from Bobbie and when they arrived at the garage, they started in straight away on a set list. All three of them wanted to make sure they gave the show of their lives, and song choice was important.

As he climbed back into Luke’s car for a ride home, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

 _I’ll take any kind of payment on offer. Julie’s on the late if you feel like coming over._ He tapped out an answer telling her he’d be there as soon as possible and as he put his phone away, he mentally willed Luke to drive faster.

Reggie knocked on Flynn’s dorm room door within an hour of Luke dropping him off. His parents had been sitting in silence, ignoring one another, when he’d gone inside the house. It was strange and the atmosphere was thick, but it was preferable to the yelling and screaming. Without saying anything to them, he’d gone up to his room, had a quick shower, changed his clothes, and left again. As he’d sat in the back of his uber, Reggie realized he desperately needed to get his driver’s license and get himself a car. He also realized that he would need to get a job of some sort to be able to pay for it and insurance because there was no way he’d even bother asking his parents to help.

Flynn flung the door open and grabbed hold of the front of his shirt, pulling him into the room, pressing her lips to his. Reggie just about managed to kick the door shut behind him before they fell onto the bed. Flynn’s hands were all over him, pulling his shirt up, making him break their kiss so she could drag it over his head. The skin on his chest burned wherever she made contact with her hands, making him moan out loud.

As Flynn kissed him, Reggie couldn’t help but think about the possibility of Julie walking in on them, but as the girl in his arms moved her hands from his chest to his belt buckle, all thoughts of her best friend left his mind.

:: ::

As he left Flynn and Julie’s dorm, he heard Julie’s voice coming from the other end of the hallway. In a panic, he turned to face the wall in an alcove, holding his phone to his ear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Julie walk past him without giving him a second glance, speaking on her own cell. Breathing a sigh of relief, Reggie waited for the door to her room to open and close before he felt safe enough to turn around and leave the building.

Once he was outside, he couldn’t stop smiling as he ordered an uber to take him home. He realized he wanted to take Flynn out on a proper date, but he didn’t have much money. He wondered if he’d be able to get a part-time job somewhere, one he could fit in between school and the band. There was no way he’d find somewhere like that.

Climbing out of the uber, Reggie spotted his neighbor, Mr. Gregory struggling to wheel his trash can to the curb.

“Hey, let me do that.” Reggie jogged over and took the big trash can from his elderly neighbor’s hands.

“Oh, thank you, Reginald.”

“No worries. And, er. It’s Reggie.” He flashed the older man a smile. “If you ever need any help, please let me know.”

“I will, Reggie,” he placed emphasis on the shortened version of his name. “I certainly will. Things are getting harder by the day to do.”

“If I’m around, I’ll definitely help you, Mr. Gregory.” They said their goodbyes, and the older man went back inside his house. Reggie walked back over to his own house feeling very pleased with himself. Not only had he done a good deed, he’d also got laid and was feeling relaxed as hell.

That all changed when he let himself in. All hell was breaking lose between his parents. Reggie was instantly on edge and was able to get up to his bedroom without with of them seeing him. He spent the following three hours sitting on his bed, under his bedsheets, trying to block out the sounds of them arguing with Imagine Dragons belting through his headphones at full volume.

After a fitful sleep, Reggie woke up to silence. Both of his parents were on early shifts, so he was able to take his time in getting ready for school rather than rushing to leave as fast as he could. By the time Luke’s car pulled up outside, Reggie was feeling relaxed and ready to start a new week.

As he walked out to meet his friends, Mr. Gregory called him over to his house. Giving the guys a quick hand signal telling them to give him a minute, he jogged over see what his neighbor wanted.

“Hey, Mr. Gregory. What’s up?”

“I was wondering if you were busy after school?”

“I have a band rehearsal, but I’m free after that.”

“Wonderful. If I give you a list and some money, would you be able to run to the store for me? Just a few essentials.”

“Sure thing.” Reggie took the slip of paper and the money, tucking them into the inside pocket of his leather jacket.

“Thank you, Regin- I mean, Reggie.”

Reggie gave Mr. Gregory a wide smile before going back to the car.

“What was that all about?” Luke asked as Reggie climbed into the back of the car.

“Just doing Mr. Gregory a favor.”

“As long as it doesn’t cu-”

“I’ll be at rehearsal.” He reassured his lead singer, rolling his eyes at Alex.

“Okay then.”

As much as Reggie admired Luke’s drive and ambition, it was certainly a pain in the ass at times.

:: ::

 _Hey, wanna meet up tonight?_ Flynn’s text made his phone chime as he walked through the isles in the store, picking up the items his neighbor needed.

_What time do you get off work?_

_In about an hour, but Julie’s at the dorm._

_Meet me at the garage in an hour and a half? I just have to do something for a neighbor._ When she replied agreeing, he shoved his phone back into his pocket, a wide grin on his face.

“Oh, Reggie. Thank you so much. This is much appreciated.” Mr. Gregory stood to one side, letting Reggie walk in, carrying the bags from the store.

“It’s no problem. Let me put these down and I’ll give you your change.”

“Oh no, you keep that.”

“But it’s like twenty bucks.”

“I know.”

“I couldn’t possibly-” He tried to hand the money over, but the older man cut him off.

“You could. I can’t expect you to run an errand for me for free now, could I?”

“Of course you could. It wasn’t a bother, and it wasn’t like I went out of my way.”

“Reggie, please. Keep the money.”

Realizing he wasn’t going to win the argument, he thank his neighbor and left to run home to shower before meeting up with Flynn. When he was safe in his room, he shoved the money from Mr. Gregory into an envelope and hid it at the back of his underwear drawer, hoping it would be safe there.

As he showered, he made a mental note to buy himself a lock box, just in case.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another update! I really hope you are all enjoying this story. It's kicking my ass writing it because Reggie is such a complex character - one we don't know a huge amount about from the show.  
> If there's anything you want to ask me or shout at me about, hit me up of Tumblr [vicesvsvirtuesfanfic](https://vicesvsvirtuesfanfic.tumblr.com/) or Instagram [vicesinstagram](https://www.instagram.com/vicesvsvirtuesfanfic/)

_Chapter Twelve:_

In the build up to the show, Flynn had taken over the band’s social media accounts, and somehow managed to get them many more followers who were now interested in their music. Yeah, there were still the odd comment about the attraction of Luke’s arms, but they were becoming fewer and farther between which Luke was vocally happy about. Alex still wound him up about them though whenever he could. Watching Luke retaliate was one of the funniest things to Reggie – especially when the vein on his temple began to get more and more pronounced.

Flynn had told him that the interest in the show around campus was electric when they’d lay, wrapped up in one another’s arms, on the pull-out couch in the Molina’s garage. She’d said the flyers were everywhere which astounded Reggie. They’d never had proper advertising before, and she and Julie had been asked about the show itself and the guys, so many times she was starting to feel like a celebrity in between her classes. She’d grinned as she told him that snippet of information, blinding him with the brilliance of her wide smile.

Knowing she, and Julie the more he thought about it, was being approached by people she didn’t know, even if they were asking about him and the rest of Sunset Curve filled him with apprehension. He’d heard too many rumors about college campuses not to feel uneasy but when he’d voiced the worry, Flynn had laughed and told him that although his concern and hint of jealousy were cute, he didn’t need to worry about her. Apparently, she’d been studying martial arts since she was a kid and was fully capable of looking after herself. Reggie had to admit how much of a turn on that was, proceeding to show her just how much before they both got cleaned up and dressed and he walked her back to the dorm.

By the time he climbed through Luke’s bedroom window, needing to avoid another sleepless night at home, he was exhausted in the best way possible and fell asleep with the lingering smell of Flynn on his skin and a smile on his face.

The only thing that seemed to take his mind of the upcoming gig was doing odd jobs for the elderly neighbors on his street. He’d somehow become the go to person to cut grass, take out trash cans, run errands, and even sculpt topiary – that one he’d needed to research on YouTube – and they all insisted on paying him, despite him trying to refuse the cash. He didn’t feel right taking money from them, but they’d all insisted, and he’d soon started to build up his own savings away from whatever the band made.

He’d bought himself a lock box and had hidden it under his bed. His mom hadn’t cleaned his room, or even gone into the space to search out dirty laundry, in years, so Reggie knew it was safe. But he liked to err on side of cautiousness, just in case.

:: ::

Reggie was nervous as hell as they drove to the venue with Luke’s dad. He’d borrowed the trailer again to help them transport their gear. That was one of the biggest downsides to Bobby quitting the band. They lost the use of his dad’s van. If Reggie was honest, he missed Trevor more than Bobby. Missed chatting to Bobby’s dad, missed having an adult to look up to other than Mr. and Mrs. Patterson.

Trevor Wilson was an aging hippy, and Reggie could often smell the distinctive aroma of weed wafting around him but had always been too nervous to ask him about it. He always seemed to be working away on his laptop in the kitchen, but none of them actually knew what he did, and had never thought to ask him or Bobby about it. All of them had merely accepted Trevor for the odd man he was, much in the way he’d accepted them and the band. He never complained about the noise and pretty much gave Bobby free rein in life, despite very obviously caring about his son – something Reggie had never been able to get his head around.

When they arrived, the place was empty with only staff buzzing around making sure the bar was fully stocked and everything was ready for them. Flynn was in the sound booth with the tech, checking the lighting. Reggie watched her as he and the guys set up their instruments while Mr. Patterson hung back, petrified of touching anything in case he broke something. The bassist thought it was kind of sweet that Luke’s dad cared so much and could see how much better he and Luke were getting on. He wasn’t sure what had shifted in their relationship, but he was pleased for his friend.

At least one of their trio had a healthy home life. It was about time one of them did, and Reggie couldn’t be happier for Luke. All he’d ever wanted was his parents to accept his music and the dreams he wanted to follow with the band, and it looked like Mr. Patterson was starting to do just that.

Once they’d set up and run through a sound check, Reggie and the guys were free for an hour before the doors opened and the show started. Luke and his dad sat together while Alex was constantly tapping away on his phone. Reggie assumed he was texting Willie.

The skateboarder was one of the coolest guys Reggie had ever met – that effortless kind of cool – and he made Alex happier than he’d been in a long time. Why his parents couldn’t see that was beyond Reggie but considering he didn’t have a home life that would fit in a Hallmark movie, he couldn’t judge anyone else’s.

Unable to sit still, Reggie walked around the venue looking for Flynn. Maybe he could talk her into helping him ease his nerves somehow. But, when he did finally find her, she was holed up backstage with Julie who looked ready to barf. Backing away, not wanting to be dragged into ‘girl stuff’ and went to find Luke and his dad.

:: ::

After a minor freak out over signing posters, Reggie began to feel his anxiety rise when he saw how many people were beginning to fill the venue. They’d done shows before, but never to a crowd this size. What if they didn’t think he was good enough? What if he screwed up? What if the crowd booed him? What if he fell off stage?

“Hey, buddy, you okay?” Alex’s voice was soft as he put his hand on Reggie’s shoulder. All Reggie could do was nod his head, but he knew Alex didn’t believe him. “Listen, all three of us are going to smash this show, together. Those people out there are gonna love us, all of us. You’re not gonna ruin anything for anyone. You’re an amazing bassist, and an even better friend.”

“He’d right, Reg. We couldn’t do this without you.” Luke’s voice joined the conversation and before Reggie could respond, two sets of arms were wrapped around him, squeezing him tight. He could feel the panic leaving his body as he hugged his two best friends back.

“Thanks guys. I kinda needed that.” He didn’t look either of them in the eye, rather looking down at his hands as he picked at the skin on the side of his thumb.

“Reg, we’ve both been a bit… distracted and even a little distant lately, and we’re sorry for that. But never, ever think we could ever be without you. You’re too important to us, to the band, for us to ever do it. Plus, we’d suck as a duo.” Alex grinned at him making him laugh. “Right. Let’s go watch Julie… well, watch Luke watch Julie perform.”

“Fuck you, asshole.”

**Author's Note:**

> P.S. Yes, this one will be published like Busker in around April.


End file.
